cradledatacorefandomcom-20200214-history
Nijar Szera
Nijar Szera was the leader of the revolution that led to the founding of the Izeran Empire, retroactively declared the First Emperor by his son. The Empress as of 3555, Tanis Szera, is a direct descendent of his and has previously cited him as a personal hero of hers. More broadly, he remains an important historical figure and a widely-admired national hero for most Izerans, though many academics agree that the modern public perception of Nijar Szera is considerably embellished compared to what records show of him. Despite his incredible importance to the Izeran Empire, the number of records detailing the man himself and his actions that existed while he was alive are few and far between, and many of them come from Mila Arak's writings. Personal History Nijar grew up in a densely packed city, living in a crowded and structurally unsound apartment block and forced to desperately hunt for income from a very young age, like many people at that time. An only child, his parents were very poor and nevertheless struggled to make ends meet, a goal further hampered by the crime-ridden neighbourhood. Eventually, however, he found work at a local factory where, through his coworkers, he was introduced to the notions of class conflict, equality, wealth redistribution, workers' rights and social revolution. Indeed, given the state of the education system at the time, most of his education was afforded to him by his coworkers, who also caused him to start thinking politically and viewing the world around him as a nation-state. As he grew older, he became more attached to the idea of revolution and more incensed at the current state of affairs. Believing the Akandan Republic to be irredeemable, he began to spread the idea around and convince others of its merit. The notion of fighting back against the Republic was a popular one, and it spread quickly. At roughly the same time, Mila Arak's new religion was growing, and it preached very similar ideas. Shortly before the revolution began in earnest, Mila and Nijar met for the first time, and although there was initially some animosity between them, their goals were largely the same and they strove towards the same causes, eventually coming to deeply respect each other. The earliest days of the revolution were troubled; although the Republic was largely inept at governing, its military was still functional and was much better equipped and trained than any revolutionary milita forces. Most of the soldiers were conscripted commoners, however, and many of the mid- to low-ranking officers had started out as common folks as well. Very few felt any actual loyalty towards the Republic, and as the revolutionary forces continued to grow, most of them turned against the government. Most of the high-ranking military officers were also disloyal; corrupt, appointed as the result of nepotism, or disillusioned commoners who had managed to work their way up the ranks. Many joined the revolution, or else kept out of the way of the fighting. The revolutionaries' victory was imminent once the military had joined them, and Nijar's forces soon deposed the government and set up a new one; a make-shift council of autocrats comprised of himself, his lover, Mila Arak, and a handful of other close allies. He was 26 at the start of the revolution, and stabilizing the emergent state would consume the rest of his life. He died in 3165, having consolidated most of the autocracy's power within himself and ensuring that his son would succeed him and was prepared to do so. Relationships Little is said of Nijar's parents in Mila's records, and other records scarcely ever mention them. What is known is that Nijar credited his mother with helping him find the job at the factory that started the revolution, and that both were still alive in the early days of the Szera Autocracy. Despite some initial mutual dislike existing between himself and Mila - the journal of a close friend of his claims that he thought of her as "arrogant beyond belief" and "unbearably self-righteous" - a deep respect grew between them over the course of the revolution and by the time the Autocracy arose, they were close friends. Several later sources allege that the two had an on-and-off romance, and there are even some claims that Nijar's son was the result of this relationship, though no corroborating evidence has been found. Nijar's lover was a Major in the Akandan Republic's army, and she was among the first officers to join the revolutionaries. Her name was Niheia Sharra, and several sources allege that she was instrumental to ensuring the revolutionaries' success in several key battles. Despite her apparent importance to the effort, there are surprisingly few mentions of her in most records of the time. Mila's journals describe her as being "incredibly wary of attention" and "painfully shy." Her journals also say that she married Niheia and Nijar in a small, private ceremony with only a small handful of guests. Nijar's son, Vralai Szera, was the first person to ever be formally named "Emperor of the Izeran Empire" but his first act was to give his late father the title of "The First Emperor." Nijar died when Vralai was young, but the Emperor's journal states that his father spent a great deal of time impressing upon him the importance of being a leader and teaching him how to properly govern. Category:People Category:Izera Category:Izeran Category:Therans